CLUB NEWS

Under pressure Wikki Tourists coach, Mohammed Baba Ganaru has urged patience from the growing restiveness fans of the Bauchi side recently knocked out of continental club competition in the first round.

Wikki Tourists ended their Match day 11 fixture at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium nil all with CAF Champions League chasing Rivers United and Ganaru claimed his players let him down.

The former Kano Pillars coach arrived Bauchi to replace Abdu Maikaba who led Wikki to two top season ending performances in 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively. Fans have always been wont to compare him with his predecessor, a marking that often leaves Ganaru in pains.

"My boys did not live up to expectations most especially in the first half during which they played as if nothing was at stake. To be candid, this is not a good result for us” admitted Ganaru while speaking with www.npfl.ng.

Turning to the fans, he pleaded "I just have to tell the fans to exercise a lot bit of patience, we will soon get it right”.

On the opposite side, it was another kind of draw for Rivers United whose officials including Coach Stanley Eguma were handed a perform or be sacked ultimatum after a second home draw amidst two road trip defeats.

Quite a valuable draw but Eguma played down the performance and bragged that they left for Bauchi hoping to grab the maximum points.

"It was a good game. We came to Bauchi with the motive of picking the maximum points but it went this way. One point away from home isn't a bad point,” Eguma conceded.

Turning his sights on the match ahead against champions, Rangers International in Port Harcourt, the Coach said, "We'll go back home and prepare for our next match against Rangers International. Hopefully, we'll get the maximum points

In the match, goalkeeper, Olufemi Thomas and Bolaji Sakin were cautioned as early as the 20th minute of play in a game full of midfield actions.

The first real chance of the match however fell to Wikki Tourists who failed to convert from close range.

It was a neat passing routine involving Harrison Madu and Jonathan Zikye but the latter's shot, went way off target.

Rivers United then took control of the game, dominating play in midfield as the combination of Emeka Obuh and Lukman Mohammed carved out holes in the home team’s defense but failed to create clear cut opportunities at goal as the first half ended goalless.

Both teams made changes in the second half to fortify their attack line, but the changes couldn't yield any positive impact as the match ended in a stalemate.

About NPFL

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is the elite League of Nigeria's Football Federation, embracing the 20 most competitive club sides in the country. Its existence dates back to 1990 when a law came into effect to introduce professional football in the country. Read More